Blazer fundraiser cancelled - again

Sen. Margaret Carter said Friday that she has cancelled the campaign fundraiser she'd planned for the April 15 Trail Blazers game. Call it double-cancelled.

Using a suite to be donated by the Blazers, the Portland Democrat had told supporters they could pay $5,000 for four tickets and a parking pass, or $2,500 for two tickets. The price later dropped to $1,000 a person, with checks payable to Carter's campaign. Takers could join Carter and Senate President Peter Courtney of Salem for the game.

The announcement raised eyebrows because it came less than a year after the Democrat-controlled Legislature passed ethics laws banning the longtime practice of lobbyists treating elected officials to Blazer games or other entertainment.

Courtney told The Oregonian a week ago that the event was cancelled. "When I saw this, I said, 'I don't think so,'" he said April 4.

But Carter explains that she "revived" the fundraiser after Courtney's statement. She contacted the Oregon Government Ethics Commission and the Legislative Counsel office for guidance. And she continued to invite potential supporters to the Blazers' final home game of the season, against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Still, she ended up calling the whole thing off this week. The reason? No takers. "I didn't cancel it for any reason other than the fact that I wasn't getting a response," Carter said Friday.